Photo by Rich DonnellyThe tavern where they switched off soccer games to show the NFL playoff games.

Thanks to the barkeep at Bar American on the Via Roma (the longest street in the Alps) in Courmayeur, who changed the TV channel from the futbol (soccer) game to our American football games so that we could see the Vikings dismantle the 'Boys and the Jets decharge the San Diego. Of course, we good Americans returned the favor and bought a few beers.

Photo by Dan CassidyAt the start of the day, Rich Donnelly before boarding the cable car in Courmayeur.

And major props to my wife, Jean, who sent scoring and quarterly text updates--the game started at 10:53 p.m. Courmayeur time, and the jet lag had gotten the better of us. When I awoke at 6 a.m., I was delirious upon reading the result so I texted back. My wife asked why I was up so early. I told her I was going running. I asked why she was up so late (midnight). She said she couldn't sleep without me. I told her that usually she can't sleep with me and my snoring.

Anyway, I went to use the restroom, and I proceeded to blow out the light--and the electricity in my room. Great way to start the day! I had to open the hallway door to see to use the john.

After an hour jog around Coumayeur, we enjoyed a traditional European breakfast of meats and cheeses and breads and fruits and industrial- strength dark coffee to get ready for our first day on the pistes of Courmayeur.

Photo by Rich DonnellySome crazy tracks beneath the cable car at the 2,646-meter summit of the pistes at Monte Bianco in Courmayeur.

First off on the spectacular bluebird morning, we hit several great corduroy cruising hero runs to warm up our legs and our lift our egos.
Then several of the more aggressive skiers headed off-piste with Gigi through 60 centimeters (about 20 inches) of untracked powder. It was knee deep in some
spots.

The elevation on the mountain was around 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet), 2,600 at top; Courmayeur sits at about 1,200 meters.

Fortunately my asthma hasn't been affected, and I haven't had any other problems acclimating to the altitude.

Several dynamite explosions were setting off controlled avalanches to settle the snowpack. And Gigi took us way off piste, to the steeps and the deep powder.

Photo by Fred McKinneySki guide Gigi Airine, right, joins Rich Donnelly in front of the face of Monte Bianco--the Italian side of Mont Blanc, the summit of which the sits at 4,810 meters.

After another two cable car rides, we were at the summit at 2,624 meters It was there, when Gigi started handing out rescue beacons to each of us, that I decided to head down back down the tracked pistes to meet the
other group for lunch.

Photo by Rich DonnellyAs the sign says, today's avalanche hazard was rated a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most dangerous.

No need to risk a slide as the avalanche danger was listed as a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most dangerous. I figured it was safer--I wanted to live to ski another day--and I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we ski the Vallee Blanche into Chamonix, France.

Photo by Rich DonnellyThe top of Monte Bianco, at some 2,600 meters, where the untracked powder is limitless and you must carry a rescue beacon in case of avalanche.Photo by Rich DonnellyThis is the view and terrain that we faced after reaching the 2,600-meter summit of Monte Bianco in Courmayeur.